Goodnight, Sweetheart
by DeliriousExpectations
Summary: We all know that Edward was eager to fight in the great war before he was changed, so how does he react when war is again declared with Germany when he is immortal? And what will his choice be, after he meets a certain human? Twilight in WW2 England, BxE


**_A/N_**: **Heyy :) Time for a rey long author's note. First of all, thank you to everyone who read my first story, especially if you're one of them and are now giving this one a go. I hope it meets your high expectations.**

**And I was going ot put up a different story (one of those Edward-leaves-Bella-gets-pregnant-but-my-one-has-a-twist stories) but decided I liked this one more. This is just the first chapter and I haven't written anymore yet so it may take awhile - am contemplating putting up finished pregnancy story to keep you reading while I write this one.**

**Anywho, this story is basically twilight, but sixty odd years ago. We all know that Edward wanted to joing the army and go to war when he was human, so hat happens when WWII starts? What does he decide? Especially when he meets Bella.**

**Oh and I know that the Cullens were living in America in the thirties because of them setting up the treaty and stuff, but I know nothing about the war in the States, so basically in my world, they set up the treaty in '33 soon after Edward came back and Rosalie & Emmett joined. Five years later they moved to the town where this story is set - which doesn't have a name.**

**Okay... I think that's everything, I'll probably add more backstory as we go**

**Enjoyy**

_**Goodnight, Sweetheart **_

**_Chapter 1: First Sight_**

I grew up in a rainy, dreary little town in the north of England. My mother and father had been unhappily married for as long as I can remember. Charlie – my father – is the local grocer, my mother Renee is a teacher at the local primary school. I am an only child, and seem likely to be for all time - what with the unhappy marriage and stuff.

Throughout my childhood, I lived a very dull life. The most exciting thing that ever happened here was when a new family moved in from the city when I was sixteen.

It was 1938, I was young and a bit of a wild–child. Flighty, my mother called me. I was quiet happy to spend my days avoiding all forms of commitment – my parents had inadvertently taught me that commitment to another was painful.

I woke early, as I always did. I've always been a morning person, always. I dressed quickly in my favourite light blue dress. It was light weight, and although the summers here were rainy they were often humid so the dress worked well. Breakfast in my house was always a bit of an awkward ordeal; my parents tried to put on a good show for my sake, they didn't seem to realise I'd seen through their façade years ago. We ate in silence, as always, and I threw clandestine glances at them both. They were being especially cold to each other today, and I didn't understand why. I didn't want to know why.

"So Bella, what are you doing today, dear?" asked my mother, my father was engrossed in his newspaper. The headlines where about what was happening in Europe, again. I wondered how long that would be in the news for as I answered.

"I was planning to go into town, to meet Jessica and Angela. Why, do you need me here?"

"No, no dear, you go," she answered. My father folded up his newspaper and began to eat his eggs.

"Do you want a lift into town, Bella? I could drive you?" he offered, and I hid a shudder. I despised his car. I'd rather ride a horse that go in that thing – and I'm not fond of horses at all.

"No, thank you, Daddy. I want to walk if that's alright." He muttered gruffly in response and returned to his breakfast. I knew that mumble; that was the mumble that preceded one of the famous Charlie/Renee showdowns. I stood hastily and put my empty plate in the sink.

"I'll be home before dark," I called as I headed out the door.

Our house was a little way out of town, about a twenty minute walk at my pace – or a ten minute ride in the death trap that was Charlie's car.

The air was hot as I walked down the country lane. There was very little wind, and I could hear every birdcall in the bushes that lined the track. I didn't come across anyone at all for the first ten or so minutes. Then, as I turned a corner in the lane I bumped straight into a woman.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she apologised.

"No, no it's my fault," I apologised politely, as I stared unashamedly at her. She was beautiful. Her skin was alabaster pale, her eyes a soft gold. Her long, caramel hair was pinned back with a glittering hair pin and she was dressed in clothes much more luxurious-looking than mine. She smiled warmly at me, though I had noticed when I bumped into her that she was anything but warm. Ice cold, more like.

"Well, I must be going," she said kindly as she stepped around me, "It was nice... meeting you."

"It was nice meeting you too," I answered politely, as is expected, though both of us had realised it wasn't really the right sentiment.

I carried on walking down the lane, it was completely straight now and in the distance I could see the first of the houses in the town. There was nobody else on the road.

I thought about the beautiful, pale woman. Her face was kind enough, and she had been extremely polite… but there was something not right about her. I had lived here all my life, and therefore I knew every face in town, I did not know this woman. Were there newcomers?

But it wasn't just that… something didn't seem _right_ about her, some instinct deep inside me was telling me that despite her kind, motherly outer surface, she was not normal. She was not… safe.

I shuddered at the thought of that sweet, kind faced woman being a danger and continued walking.

As I passed the first of the houses, my father zipped past me in his automobile, beeping his horn at me. I waved and tried to refrain from rolling my eyes.

I reached Jessica's house and knocked on the door. I only had to wait for a moment before I heard her running down the stairs towards the door to fling it open.

"Bella have you heard!" she practically shouted at me. I blinked in surprise.

"Heard what?" she rolled her eyes and pulled me inside the house.

"About the new Doctor! He's arriving today!" I frowned.

"We have a new doctor?" Jessica sighed, exasperated.

"_Yes,_ we have a new doctor. Do you not know anything?" she had dragged me into the sitting room by now, where her little sister was reading quietly in the corner. We both sat down on the sofa.

"Um… no, well I don't know anything about the doctor, that is. Who is he?"

"His name's Carlisle Cullen and he is _beautiful._ I actually mean that in the literal sense of the word, Bella. Bee-yute-ee-full," she drew the word out and I laughed.

"It's true! They all are."

"What do you mean, 'they all are'?"

"I mean his family. They're all stunningly beautiful. His wife Esme, she looks like a film star! And then there's his niece and nephew. Rosalie well lets just say that every boy in town will be after her. She's like a goddess, I saw her earlier and I nearly _died._ And then I saw Edward and Emmett, and I _did_ die. They are just… perfection. It's absurd. Rosalie and Edward are brother and sister, and I think Emmett was a runaway that Dr Cullen took in. But they're just so amazing, Bella. You wouldn't believe it unless you saw it.

"I think I did see it, I ran into a woman on my way here. I'd never seen her before today, and she was absurdly beautiful. Light brown hair, gold eyes-"

"Oh, that's Mrs Cullen," Jessica interrupted in her matter-of-fact voice.

I pondered this new information about the mystery family for a moment before I asked "Why do Rosalie and Edward live with the doctor and his wife? Where are they're parents?" Jessica's face soured.

"I don't know… I haven't been able to find out anything." She wasn't happy that she didn't know everything there is to know about the newcomers, so she quickly changed the subject towards matters of gossip she did know about.

I left at around noon, so Jessica could have dinner with her family. I was planning to eat with my father at the Grocer's – he always bought two lunches with him on the days I went to town.

I walked through the little main square of the town, with its stone memorial to the Great War in the middle. Standing beside it, deep in conversation where two men. Well, a man and a boy who I'd say was about my age. The man had honey blonde hair and chalky skin, a kind and fatherly look in his handsome gold eye as he spoke to the boy. I looked from him to the boy and my breath caught. He was perfect.

Tall, with wide shoulders, a messy, ruffled layer of hair topped his head. His hair was the most beautiful colour, neither red nor brown, but some wonderful shade in between that seemed to glisten. I could not see his entire face, just his profile, but his features seemed to be carved out of marble by some ancient master they were so precise, so crisp and perfectly proportioned. He was beautiful, as was the man beside him.

_Cullen's_, I thought. Who else could they be? The blonde must be the Doctor, Carlisle. And the boy must either be his nephew Edward, or the boy he and his wife had taken in, Emmett.

My walk had slowed to a crawl as I studied their perfection. I didn't realise I had stopped moving completely until the golden eyes of the doctor fell on me, the same colour as his wife's. Curious.

I snapped out of my trance like state as the boy looked at me too, again with gold eyes. The same eyes, that must mean they're related, I supposed. Which would make this exquisite creature… Edward.

As good as it felt to be able to put a name to the stranger, I was very aware that I was staring openly at two complete strangers, and not only that but they had caught me gawking at them.

My cheeks flushed as I hurried away towards the grocer's. The bell on the door jingled as I opened it and Charlie looked up at me from behind the till.

"Hello, Bella. How was your morning?"

"It was fine; Jessica's been filling me in on the new family in town." Charlie glanced out the window at my words, at the two Cullens standing in the square.

"Yes, the Cullens. I heard they were coming today. They seem very friendly. I haven't had a chance to talk to them yet though."

"Oh, I have."

"When?"

"This morning, on the way to town I bumped into Mrs Cullen. She seemed nice enough. Actually you would've probably seen her on you way in." He shook his head.

"I didn't see anyone until I drove past you."

I frowned, he must've seen her. There were no turn offs in that lane until a mile past our house. She couldn't've walked that fast, could she?

I was about to press him further when Charlie brought out a leather satchel with our lunches in. I was much too hungry to postpone eating.

After we had eaten, I said my goodbyes to Charlie and told him once again that I would be home before nightfall. Then I left the shop and made my way through the cobbled stone streets towards Angela's house.

Angela and Jessica had had a bit of a falling out recently, about that vile boy Mike Newton. I shuddered at the thought of him. I had refused to pick a side in the argument, as they were both important to me, so I would visit them both separately, and they would visit me separately.

Angela's father was Vicar Weber in the sleepy little town, and their home abuts the small town church where he preached and we all listened in supposed awe every Sunday. The church being a focal point in the town made it quite close to the main square and the memorial, which meant that my route led me straight past the two mysterious Cullens on my way to visit her. I didn't look at them. Well, I tried not to.

Angela was a very calm person, very peaceful and composed. She did not gorge herself on gossip like Jessica did; Angela was much too selfless for that. So, her being a calm person, I was not surprised that she took longer than Jessica to answer the door.

"Bella!" she exclaimed, embracing me as soon as the door was open.

"Angela, how are you?" I asked.

"I'm exhausted! Father's been extra busy with the Church Harvest coming up so I've been looking after the twins with my mother. Remind me to only have one child in the future." I laughed as we both flopped on the sofa.

"Have you heard the news?" she asked casually, nowhere near as interested as Jessica had been. I chuckled.

"Heavens, only in a town this small could the arrival of a new family cause so much gossip. Although I must admit Jessica and her mother are responsible for the most of it." The Stanleys where not well known for their secrecy.

"Of course they are. What do you expect? Anyway, have you met them yet?"

"Not really… I bumped into Mrs Cullen in the lane on my way here, and I saw the doctor and one of the boys in the square. He had bronze hair?"

"Ahh, that's Edward," she answered sagely. Her father being the vicar must give her some advantages over Jessica in the world of gossip, she just didn't like to tell, "Have you not met the other two yet?"

"No… what were their names again?"

"Rosalie and Emmett. You'll know when you see them… they definitely make an impression."

"What do you mean?"

"Well Emmett's arms are about as thick as a tree. I'm being serious Bella, don't make that face. I don't understand how anybody could get that… muscled. And Rosalie, well no girl will want to be in the same room as her for too long."

"Why?"

"Rosalie is like the embodiment of pure beauty. She's insanely attractive. You know - blonde hair, prefect body and features. It definitely took my self esteem down a couple of notches when I met her."

"You've met them? Properly?"

"Yes, they came to introduce themselves to my father this morning. They're going to be in our class this year at school."

"Where are they living?" I thought aloud, out of pure curiosity.

"At the old Gellar Mansion." My eyes bugged.

"Are you joking?"

"Nope."

"How on earth did they afford that?!"

"I have no idea. I think they made money on the stock market before the crash in America."

"They're American?"

"Yes. That should go down well, don't you think?" I snorted. Americans were an unknown thing. We didn't understand them, we didn't know them. The Cullens would've had a hard time fitting in in a big city like London, let alone in this inconsequential town in the middle of the Pennine Mountains.

There was a knock on the door. Angela made no effort to get it, and we watched from where we were as her father hurried from his study to go answer it.

"Ah Doctor, back so soon?" he asked in his cheery voice.

"Yes, Vicar. We're sorry to intrude but I was wondering if your daughter could provide us with some information for the new school term?" replied a polite, deep voice, full of control and patience.

"Of course, of course, do come in, Carlisle. Edward, Emmett it's good to see you two again too."

The three Cullen's entered the room, the first two I knew but the third I was unfamiliar with. Emmett. His ridiculous muscles bulged beneath his cotton shirt and his neck was thick. He wasn't that tall though, despite his obvious strength he was no taller than Edward. His skin was pale as snow, like the others, and he had a thick mop of dark curls on top of his head and a cocky yet friendly grin on his face. Yet all of this was meaningless because he too was shockingly beautiful, and he too had strange, golden eyes.

"Carlisle, this is Isabella Swan, her father owns the grocery store in the town." I stood and took Dr Cullen's hand as he offered it. It was icy cold, like his wife's skin had been.

"It's nice to meet you Dr Cullen, please call me Bella," I said, hoping he didn't recognise me from earlier in the square.

"It's good to meet you too, Bella. Please, call me Carlisle."

"Bella, this is Emmett and Edward," continued Mr Weber once I had been released from Carlisle's icy grasp.

I shook hands with Emmett first, as he was closest. His grip too was like ice, and as tight as a vice around a thin piece of wood. I shook hands with Edward last, all colour drained from my face as I looked into his eyes. They were near black.

I held back a little gasp of shock and retracted my hand as he released it after no more than a second.

I cleared my throat and sit back down beside Angela, her father sat on the other side and the Cullen men took the armchairs, though Edward chose to stand.

"So, how can we help you, Carlisle?" asked Angela, unaware of my unease.

"Well we were just wondering what the start date for the school term was?" he asked politely.

"September fourth," I answered automatically. "Do you know what class you're in yet?" I asked Emmett and Edward, quite forgetting that Angela had already told me they were in ours.

"Yes, actually we're in Miss Hunt's class," answered Emmett, looking anxiously at his… well I suppose I could call them brothers.

Edward continued to lean against the wall, his eyes black as night, his hands clenched against his side.

"Are you all right?" I asked, now quite concerned about his behaviour.

He shook his head slowly, with some difficulty it seemed.

"No… I –uh – just got a really bad headache," his words sounded quite strained. I began to rise from my seat.

"Would you like to sit down?" I asked, ready to give the breathtaking boy my seat. But to my eternal surprise he seemed to edge away from me.

"No, thank you. I think I just need some fresh air. My apologies Vicar, ladies." He turned and made his way to the front door. I stared after him until I heard the oak door shut. I turned back to the doctor.

"Is he going to be all right?" I asked, for some reason sounding very worried.

"He'll be fine, Edward gets quiet a lot of these headaches recently," Carlisle answered though he did sound quite worried.

"Not as bad as this one," muttered Emmett. Carlisle seemed to hear him. He began to rise from his chair.

"I should take him home, I'm sorry for the intrusion Vicar."

"Not at all Carlisle, visit us anytime," answered Mr Weber as he, Angela, Emmett and I rose from our seats.

"It was nice to see you both again, please send our regards to your wife. And it was good to meet you too, Bella."

"My pleasure, Dr Cullen," I answered with a small blush.

"Carlisle," he corrected automatically with a smile. I smiled back and my blush deepened. Emmett winked friendlily at Angela and me and we both giggled behind her father's back as he walked Carlisle to the door.

Once the Cullens were out the door Angela and I sped past her father and up the stairs to her bedroom, where we gawked at them out the window as they crossed the square. Edward was walking much faster than the other two, and seemed very upset about something.

"Gosh, must be a really bad headache," I mused.

"Mmmhmm," was all Angela replied with.

"What?"

"Nothing…" she turned and sat on the edge of her bed.

"Seriously, Ang, what is it?" I said sitting in the stool beside her dressing table.

"You!" she said with a smile.

"What have I done?" I asked, a bit hurt.

"You _like_ him!" she giggled. I frowned.

"Excuse me? I like whom, exactly?"

"Edward. It was so obvious, Bella. You looked terrified when he said he had a headache, and you kept staring at him. And I have to say, offering him your seat was a bit obvious." My jaw hit the floor and my hands flew to my face.

"You think I was… _flirting_ with Edward Cullen!" I whispered.

"Well, not intentionally. But it was very sweet."

"Oh, no! I didn't mean to! Did anyone else notice?" she shrugged.

"How would I know? I don't read minds… but I'm right aren't I? You like him, don't you?"

"I don't know… I hadn't really thought about how I like him until you started this conversation… I guess I do. But come on, he is perfect, and he could have his pick out of any girl in town, and most of them are a lot prettier than me. It's a fantasy, Angela. Nothing more. There is no way in heaven or earth a creature as perfect as Edward Cullen would be attracted to me."

"Maybe not… there may not be a way on heaven or earth, but then again there's always hell." I burst out laughing.

"You do remember your father is a vicar, yes?" she began to laugh too and threw a small pillow at me.

I left Angela's just before six. The sun didn't really set for a few more hours, but the heavy clouds were making the sky a dark miserable grey. Leaving it any later would mean making my way down the little country lane in the dark, and I really didn't enjoy the idea of that.

I left the rectory and walked down the street into the square. My feet made little clicky noises on the stone street as I passed the memorial.

"Hey, Bella!" called a familiar voice. _Please don't be who I think it is._

I turned and stifled a groan to put on a fake smile.

"Hello, Mike," I said as he approached me, his eager face spread into a smile nowhere near as fake as mine.

"Are you alone?" he asked. I raised an eyebrow.

"No Mike, I'm with all these people, can't you see them?" I asked sarcastically. He laughed too heartily at my joke.

"Would you like me to walk you home?" he asked, always eager to help a female in need. Mike was a big fan of the whole damsel in distress routine that a lot of the girls around here put on. I was no such girl.

"No, thanks. I think I know my way now, it's been sixteen years."

"But it's dangerous!" he said anxiously. I rolled my eyes.

"Bye, Mike." I didn't say anything else, just walked away from him.

"I don't trust him either," said a silky, americanised voice beside me. I jumped slightly.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," said the exquisite blonde. I smiled. Well, I tried to, I was busy choking with jealosy. She was just like the rest of her family - shockingly pale, startilingly beautiful, and I got the odd tingle in the back of my head telling me she was a danger to me.

"It's fine. You must be Rosalie," I said, holding out my hand as we continued to walk towards the lane that led out of town. She took it tentatively. Ice, yet again.

"I see my reputation precedes me" she smirked. "Yes, I'm Rosalie Hale. What's your name?"

"I'm Bella, Bella Swan. My father owns the grocery store… forgive me, but I thought your last name was Cullen?" I asked, feeling it was rude to ask.

"Well… that's my aunt and uncle's last name. Our – mine and my brother's – last name used to be Hale. Edward's just a lot better at letting go than I. Our parents' death was harder on me than it was on him, I think."

"I'm sorry… I wouldn't've asked if I'd known…"

"It's alright, it was a long time ago." I decided to change the subject.

"Speaking of Edward how is he? He has a pretty bad headache earlier," I asked, trying my best to sound nonchalant. I don't think it worked because the corner of her mouth turned up slightly.

"He's fine… headache crisis averted."

"It looked pretty bad."

"My brother suffers from migraine sometimes," she said simply.

Maybe another change of subject…

"So why don't you like Mike?"

"Who? Oh, that parasite back there… I have trust issues. Especially when it comes to overly helpful boys who try to walk girls home in the dark," I bit my lip. It seemed like there was no safe territory with this girl. I considered asking her about America, but was scared she might miss it and it would make her homesick.

"So, your father owns the grocery?" she asked casually.

"Yeah… it's the only one in town, so he gets pretty good business."

"And your mother? Does she work?"

"Yes, she teaches in the primary school – its right next to the comprehensive."

"Have you always lived here?"

"Yes… well, since I was about three months old. My parents wanted me to grow up in the country rather than the city."

"That seems smart… I suppose I'd've done that too," she mused, half to herself and I wondered why she used the past tense.

"How old are you, Bella?"

"I'll be seventeen in September."

"You seem a lot older, more mature than sixteen… I've met twenty year olds who are less responsible than you," she said sadly, and I wondered what she was remembering.

We stopped walking; we were beside the gate to my house. I pushed the black metal open and turned towards her.

"Goodnight Rosalie, thank you for walking with me. It was good to meet you."

"Goodnight Bella, it was good to meet you too." She gave me one beautiful smile with her gleaming white teeth and then she disappeared down the lane toward Gellar Mansion.

I spent the evening in quite thought, pondering today's events to block out the painful arguments of my parents.

As I lay down in my bed I began to piece together all the little things that didn't make any sense to me.

The Cullens were just so… strange. There was something undisputedly not right about them, no one could deny that. I kept coming back to the memory of their eyes, all a light butterscotch gold colour. Beautiful, possible a result of some strange genetic code, but even Emmett, who was not related to the Cullens by blood had those eyes. And Edward had had them too… before they turned as black as soot when he shook my hand.

The memory of his behaviour made me shiver in the warm night air. He looked so angry, so full of hate. Could I be the reason for that? The reason that he's left the rectory?

No. Surely not, Rosalie had told me that he suffered from migraine. And Carlisle had said that it had happened before, and he was a doctor.

But Emmett… he had said '_not as bad as this'_, what did that mean? What had made it worse? Me?! No, that was absurd. It couldn't be me.

Could it?

**_A/N_ and that's chapter one :)**

**I have an inset day tomorrow (don't ask) so I might write chapter two then if I have the time, but if not I'd still love to hear what you thought of it as I have no real idea where this is going lol.**

**I'm kinda thinking I might skip out Victoria & Co. coz they are all a waste of space and Edward is too hot to go running around after them all the damn time.**

**Anyway, miny rant about nomads over, reviews please?**

**lots of love**

**Sasha :) xxx**


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